Restaurant review: New Wolf's Ridge Brewing is something to howl about

Wednesday

Oct 16, 2013 at 12:01 AMOct 21, 2013 at 3:47 PM

I felt so giddy after my initial dinner in the new Wolf's Ridge Brewing that I ran home and wrote "Wolf's Ridge is among the top five restaurants to open this year. What are the other four? I don't know and I don't care." Yeah, the premiere of this snazzy-but-unpretentious overachiever is roll-out-the-superlatives impressive.

G.A. Benton, Columbus Alive

I felt so giddy after my initial dinner in the new Wolf's Ridge Brewing that I ran home and wrote "Wolf's Ridge is among the top five restaurants to open this year. What are the other four? I don't know and I don't care." Yeah, the premiere of this snazzy-but-unpretentious overachiever is roll-out-the-superlatives impressive.

From its do-a-double-take dishes to its intriguing drink lists to its huge but casually beautiful "farmhouse/industrial" space, WR exudes great taste and intelligence. Seriously, you should finish reading this later and head down there now.

From the enticing suds selection, WR's maltier-than-expected "3 a.m. IPA" ($5; its name alludes to the brew crew's long hours) is the only produced-here beer currently ready - it tastes like a hybrid between a classic brown ale and a potent IPA. WR's cocktails are also cliche-eschewing (like the fruity/bitter Allegheny made with "fast-forward-aged" Cleveland Black Reserve bourbon, $9), and there's a tiny, Cali-leaning but atypical wine list.

Unlike most restaurants, WR's often-lightly-beer-inflected, GF-friendly food eats better than it reads. Sure, it features that old "creative spins on modern American favorites," but WR's prettily plated fare is distinguished by uncommon balance and verve.

House-made pickles are a pet peeve of mine because they're frequently overpriced yet often underachieve. Not here. Served in a generous bowl, my brined, bright veggie bouquet was bold and kissed with spicy curry, but not so much as to obliterate the original color, taste and texture of its cauliflower, carrots, haricot verts and sweet peppers (Curry Pickled Vegetable, $7).

Those same good spuds anchored a refined vegetarian item from the supplemental meatless menu. Treating a spirited block of zestily Blackened Tofu ($12) a la its regular-menu walleye, the dressed-up bean curd also came with tangy smoked sour cream, micro-greens and a vibrant romesco sauce.

A vertiginously vertical but highly rewarding sashimi-grade Ahi Burger ($15) on a handsome bun blurred the gap between Latin and Japanese restaurants with multitudinous garnishes. While I liked its side of crispy, upscale McD's-style shoestring fries, mine should've been warmer.

The Habanera cheesecake ($6) didn't need improving. Exemplifying what's terrific about this place, the creamy key lime-like star's flavor was made better - and was never overwhelmed - by chili, a lovely "dry-hopped caramel sauce" and a killer nougatine tuile.